Comments from The I Spy Forum continued
And the dialogue in the jail cell was pure "wonderfulness" also. As Bulwer-Lytton just mentioned, we are all dumbfounded as to why "our Mr. Culp" has never received truckloads of awards ... well apparently he is too ... In the jail cell, Kelly starts in about his fellow cellmates pacing around - when Scotty says they give awards for it in Italian jail movies. That gets Kelly up and off his bunk saying, "I always wanted an award myself, I'll just pace a little now, in that case." The next time they land in jail, he continues on about not getting an award for pacing, and says they need to invent a new category ... etc., etc. Very charming .... and the interaction and banter between the two of them in this episode was perfect. I imagine "Sophia" was shot quite soon after Cosby won his Emmy. It was sweet to see them joke about it like that - it seemed to play up their natural warmth and friendship.
And I agree also that the handkerchief knife fight was almost too intense for this episode - and would have worked well in a more dramatic story, also. The villain, Angelo, was extremely well done, edgy, tough, and dangerous.
And the scene that also caught the Colonel's attention - near the end, where Kelly gets up and pushes Gino's gun towards himself and away from Sophia was so adorably done. As was Kelly's reaction when he first sees Sophia - not quite the little kid he was expecting it seems. And Scotty's reaction to "Uncle" Kelly and his "unclely" concern for Sophia were great fun throughout. We have often talked about the ease with which comedy and drama were mixed so flawlessly - and believably in I SPY - from week to week and within episodes themselves.
OK, on to "Gino" - Enzo Cerusico. Yes, he was boyish and charming - and apparently Sheldon Leonard thought so too. Because he was hired to star in Sheldon's new series "My Friend Tony" along with James Whitmore. I've read
several differing accounts of the demise of "I SPY" ... but in Sheldon's book "And the Show Goes On" - he talks about playing one-upmanship with the network - and contractual agreements and disagreements. NBC told him they were only going to use one of his shows the following season and he decided to go with "My Friend Tony" over "I SPY."
"It was a difficult decision to make. "Tony" was far from a sure thing. It was aimed at the young audiences with whom Cerusico's impish charm was most likely to score, and unless it got an appropriate time spot it wasn't going to last long. On the other hand, "I SPY" was a pretty sure bet to continue for at least a couple of seasons, if I accepted its renewal in place of "Tony." However, in my opinion, it would limp through those seasons, losing much of its syndication value." ....... "When Werner couldn't promise to return I SPY to its Wednesday time period, I opted to let it go, in favor of "My Friend Tony."
"The network executive (So help me, I've forgotten the bastard's name. Talk about a Freudian block!) had falsely claimed a shortage of time slots to make me forego my contractual right to put a second hour on NBC, because in his opinion, that represented too many eggs in one basket. He didn't think I'd give up "I SPY" in favor of "My Friend Tony," but when I trumped his ace by doing so, he figured he'd fix me."
So "Tony" was given a dreadful late Sunday night time slot and ended up being cancelled by the end of the first year.
And if you would like to have your very own SOPHIA mini-movie on your computer to play at all hours ...... (OK, so it's really the intro. but it's truly Italian.)
.... just click on the link below and it will be yours. You can now check in on Kelly and Scotty and those roving eyes right there on your computer screen whenever you want ... sight and sound included (just don't let your boss see it).
Once on the site, just click on "I SPY Opening Credits." It may take a minute or two to download depending on your computer ... see the "FORUM Archive Site" really is taking shape.
You will need RealPlayer for this ...
If you don't have it, it's free at
ENJOY!!
I'll go along with the Colonel on this one - a definite "B" for Sophia - the lightness and light comedy and the guys' banter worked far better in this episode than in many of the others.
and Colonel - RE: "Another highlight was that little car they drove, I still haven't figured out exactly what make it is."
It was Matchbox.
As ever, Tatia
June 6 2003 at 2:16 PM
From: Mike Rup rt
You have hit most of the high points of this episode which makes Kelly and Scotty's break from an assignment prove, as we all know, these guys can find trouble even when they are not looking for it.
Meeting Sophia, Scotty noticing Kelly's interest in her and having none of it, Kelly and Scott's inept lawyer.
It was a nice change of pace episode. As Tatia has pointed out, this episode introduced Enrico Cerusico, who Sheldon Leonard would pick to co-star in "My
Friend Tony." A show that I watched when it aired.
Thanks for the insightful comments.
Mike
June 7 2003 at 9:26 PM
From: Billy Bob Rover
I have always had a soft spot for this episode, probably because of the location shooting, but, I cannot imagine it being one for which Mr. Culp would ever have had any affection. It is essentially a piece of fluff, and his sober, often stern DVD commentaries suggest little respect for such episodes.
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